"A320 family planes in 2010 and were fully withdrawn in 2013. Sky Airline Sky Airline is an airline based at Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago, Chile. It is the second largest airline in the country behind rival LATAM Airlines and the first airline to operate under a low-cost model in the country. It serves international routes to Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Uruguay. It also operates charter flights in Chile and South America. Sky Airline was controlled by its founder, Jürgen Paulmann (1930–2014), a German-Chilean businessman, brother of retail billionaire Horst Paulmann. It started operations in December 2001"
"Catalinas. On 3 January 1971, the first of four Boeing 727-100s entered into service and put to operate the trunk route Buenos Aires–Rio de Janeiro–Brasília. In 1975 the first Boeing 737-200 entered into service. As a consequence of serious economic difficulties, on 22 May 1975 Cruzeiro do Sul was bought by Ruben Berta Foundation, the institution that also controlled Varig. That day Cruzeiro lost its independence and started to operate with Varig as a consortium, with Varig being the leading partner. On 22 May 1975 begins the third phase, when Ruben Berta Foundation, the owner of Varig acquired a majority"
"airlines, on Varig acquired a controlling interest in Cruzeiro do Sul, which was in a particularly delicate economic situation. Cruzeiro do Sul was fully integrated into VARIG on . On , the Brazilian Federal Government created the Brazilian Integrated System of Regional Air Transportation and divided the country in five different regions, for which five newly created regional airlines received a concession to operate air services. Rio-Sul Serviços Aéreos Regionais S/A was the fourth of those regional airlines to be made operational and it was established by Varig in partnership with Top Táxi Aéreo, Bradesco Bank, and Atlântica-Boavista Insurance. Its"
"Condor. On June 10, 1927 the Brazilian Government authorized a businessman from Porto Alegre, Otto Ernst Meyer-Labastille, to establish an airline that could operate in the States of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, and to extend the services, with the necessary governmental authorizations, to Uruguay. This airline was named Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense – Varig, which had the support of Condor Syndikat, including share-holding. In order to facilitate start-up operations, Condor Syndikat transferred to Varig its rights for the route Porto Alegre - Rio Grande and the seaplane ""Atlântico"". Flights started on June 22, 1927. Until that date, Condor"
"Varig Flight 254 Varig Flight 254 was a Boeing 737-241, c/n 21006/398, registration on a scheduled passenger flight from São Paulo, Brazil, to Belém, capital city of the state of Pará in the country's North Region, on 3 September 1989. The flight had several intermediate stopovers, the last being in Marabá, Pará. Prior to takeoff from Marabá, the crew entered an incorrect heading into the flight computer, flying deep into a remote area of the Amazon jungle. Attempts to reach an alternative airport were unsuccessful, and the plane eventually ran out of fuel, making a belly landing in the jungle"
"six months. Amaro later took full control of the company’s stock. Amaro died in a helicopter crash at Fortuna Guazú, 38 kilometers from the Paraguayan city of Pedro Juan Caballero. At the time of his death, the company had grown to the point of being almost even with direct competitor Varig. Rolim Amaro Captain Rolim Adolfo Amaro (September 15, 1942 - July 8, 2001), known as ""Comandante Rolim,"" was a Brazilian pilot and airline owner and founder of TAM Airlines. At age 21, he became a pilot for a new air taxi company known as TAM – Táxi Aéreo Marília."
"the second best low-cost airline in South America after Azul. Gol refers to itself as a low-cost carrier, but it is increasingly not regarded as such. According to UFRJ specialist Elton Fernandes, ""Gol's costs are not very different from those of TAM Airlines. People are accustomed to calling Gol low-cost, but Gol is not that. It is not even low-fare anymore."" On March 28, 2007 Gol officially purchased part of the assets of VARIG - VRG Linhas Aéreas, informally known as the ""new Varig,"" a new company that owned the Varig brand, for US$320 million from Volo Group and MatlinPatterson"
"the return to democracy in 1985, Varig lost its intimate connection with the ruling powers. In 1990, with a gradual deregulation promoted by the Federal Government, VASP and Transbrasil were authorized to fly to international destinations, breaking an almost-monopoly held by Varig since 1965 (Cruzeiro do Sul was the only exception). More international carriers were also authorized to fly to Brazil, greatly increasing competition. Slowly Varig began to lose its financial health, aggravated by the early 1990s world recession and administration problems. In 1988, a few years after the inauguration of São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, Varig decided to move its"
"region, which did not happen. McLaren found new business associates Custódio Netto Junior, also former pilot of Panair do Brasil, and Joaquim Fontes former station manager of Cruzeiro do Sul in Natal, and together they re-created the airline. Aero Geral was then authorized to operate regular flights between Natal and Santos along the coast. Services started in March 1947 using four amphibian Catalinas. In the following years a Curtiss C-46 Commando and two Douglas DC-3 were added to the fleet. On February 29, 1952 Aero Geral was sold to Varig. Varig thus greatly enlarged its operations in Brazil, extending services"
"Varig Flight 810 Varig Flight 810 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro to Los Angeles with stopovers in Lima, Bogotá, Panama City, and Mexico City. On 27 November 1962 the Boeing 707-441 operating the route crashed into a mountain on approach to Lima, killing all 97 passengers and crew. At the time it was the deadliest aviation accident in Peru. The aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 707-441 equipped with four Rolls-Royce Conway 508 engines, registered PP-VJB to Varig. At the time of the accident the aircraft was two years old and sustained 6,326"
"and Frankfurt. Varig also inherited Panair's two Douglas DC-8-33 and the agreement with TAP-Transportes Aéreos Portugueses to operate the ""Voo da amizade"" () between São Paulo-Congonhas, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão and Lisbon, with stops in Recife and Sal, now using Varig's Lockheed L-188 Electra. Originally started on 30 November 1960 by Panair and TAP, only Brazilian and Portuguese citizens or foreigners with permanent residence in Brazil or Portugal were entitled to the purchase of tickets for these flights, which were extremely popular due to their low fares. Those flights operated until 1967. On , Rubem Berta died of a heart attack."
"judicial dispute with the Federal Government of Brazil, a sum that corresponds to approximately 50% of its debts. The question is under analysis at the Federal Supreme Court and the airline has already won the cause in all other instances. Furthermore, the financial problems of ""old Varig"" persist, including momentary failure to pay the due insurance costs of its sole aircraft and leasing fees to the owner of the aircraft. On November 10, 2009 the director Aurélio Penelas was replaced by Carlos Berardinelli, who was able to reach an agreement with the lessor weeks later. As a result of accumulated"
"Smiles S.A. Smiles S.A. is a Brazilian company which manages Smiles loyalty program, the former frequent-flyer program of Varig, a Brazilian carrier, now switched to GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A.. Varig launched its frequent-flyer program in 1994, as the biggest airline in Brazil and in 1997 started to use a co-branding strategy with credit card issuers. As Varig's economical conditions became desperate in the early 2000s, the company has been split in two, the ""new"" Varig with most of the airplanes, routes, and the mileage program, and the ""old"" one, mainly with the debts. The resulting new company was initially"
"the brand name Nordeste Linhas Aéreas. Later, on October 23, 2007, the brand name was changed to Flex Linhas Aéreas. Between 17 June 2005 and 2 September 2009, Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense, operator of the brand Nordeste Linhas Aéreas and since 2007 known by the brand Flex, remained in Recovery Order in the 1st Business Court of Rio de Janeiro, under the leadership of Judges Luiz Roberto Ayoub and Miguel Dau. Since bankruptcy protection was lifted, the administration of the airline returned to its original owner, Fundação Ruben Berta. Currently ""old Varig"" is on a BRL4 billion (USD2,1 billion, EUR1,5 billion)"
"owns the brand Varig, although now that name refers to what is informally known as the ""new"" Varig, founded in 2006, not to the extinct ""old"" Varig airline, founded in 1927. Gol operates a growing domestic and international scheduled network. Its main hubs are São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport and Tancredo Neves International Airport near Belo Horizonte. Gol also has focus operations at Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport, São Paulo-Congonhas Airport, Salgado Filho International Airport in Porto Alegre Gol refers to itself as Gol Intelligent Airlines (Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes in Portuguese) as a slogan. The"
"of this process, the airline was divided into two portions, informally known as ""old"" Varig and ""new"" Varig. ""Old"" Varig was judicially known as Viação Aérea Rio-grandense. ""New"" Varig, judicially known as VRG Linhas Aéreas, is a new airline formed with some assets of the original Varig and which was auctioned on 14 July 2006. The legal procedures were finalized on 20 July 2006. Since that day VRG Linhas Aéreas and Viação Aérea Rio-grandense have been different judicial entities and airlines. At the time of the auction, the assets of VRG Linhas Aéreas comprised the brands Varig and Rio Sul,"
"Santiago and São Paulo. By late , the airline's major shareholders were the Government of Uruguay (49%) and Varig (49%), and private investors held the balance. When Varig entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on , it sought a bidder for its 49% stake in PLUNA. For almost a year, it looked as if it might go to Venezuela's state-run Conviasa, but the deal officially fell through in . On , the Government of Uruguay started negotiations to sell 75% of it shares to a private consortium of investors from Germany, United States, Uruguay and Argentina called Leadgate Investment, a subsidiary"
"2009, ""old Varig"" remained in Recovery Order in the 1st Business Court of Rio de Janeiro, under the leadership of Judges Luiz Roberto Ayoub and Miguel Dau. After the bankruptcy protection was lifted, the administration of the airline could have returned to its original owner, Fundação Ruben Berta, which still owed 87% of the shares of Varig. However, Fundação Ruben Berta preferred to keep a judicial administrator. In September 2006 ""old"" Varig sold its participation in PLUNA (49% of the shares) to the Uruguayan Government. On , Varig Brazilian Airlines (""old"" Varig) was suspended from membership in Star Alliance for"
"the Amazon region. With the end of the war, Cruzeiro opened new services, competing with Panair do Brasil and Varig. Varig greatly increased its operations beyond the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina where it was the dominating carrier. In response, Cruzeiro bought two airlines that operated in the area and increased its participation in this regional market. They were SAVAG - Sociedade Anônima Viação Aérea Gaúcha and TAC - Transportes Aéreos Catarinense. Cruzeiro also opened new routes from Rio de Janeiro to Belém following the Araguaia and Tocantins rivers, and opened new connections to Manaus via"
"2005 the airline Varig requested to be placed under bankruptcy protection and to begin a recovery process. The request was granted on 22 June 2005. As part of this process, the airline was divided into two portions, informally known as ""old"" Varig and ""new"" Varig. ""Old"" Varig was judicially known as Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense. ""New"" Varig, judicially known as VRG Linhas Aéreas, is a new airline formed with some assets of the original Varig and which was auctioned on 14 July 2006. The legal procedures were finalized on 20 July 2006. Since that day VRG Linhas Aéreas and Viação Aérea"
"beyond Rio de Janeiro until Natal and could better face competition with Panair do Brasil and Cruzeiro do Sul. Aero Geral Aero Geral Ltda was a Brazilian airline founded in 1941. It was bought and merged into Varig in 1952. Aero Geral Ltda was founded in 1941 in the Amazon region and started flying with a single Monocoupe 90A in February 1942. However, due to technical difficulties, it was grounded in 1944 and became operational again only in January 1947. In 1947, Edgar James McLaren, a former pilot of Panair do Brasil planned to start regular services in the Amazon"
"Flex Linhas Aéreas Flex Linhas Aéreas, styled as FLEX, was a Brazilian non-regular charter airline based at Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport. It is the brand name of Nordeste Linhas Aéreas S.A., judicial successor of former Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense, known as Varig. Informally Flex is known as ""old Varig"". The rebranding was necessary because since July 20, 2006 the brand Varig belongs to a different judicial entity. Flex was declared bankrupt on August 20, 2010. The history of Flex Linhas Aéreas is intimately related to the one of Varig, since Flex is the judicial successor of Varig. On 17 June"
"Varig Flight 797 Varig Flight 797 was a flight from Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On 3 January 1987 the Boeing 707-320C used for the route crashed on the terrain, killing all 12 crew members and 38 of 39 passengers. When departing Abidjan the aircraft developed problems with its left (No. 1) engine. While returning the aircraft crashed into the jungle 18 km from the airport. The crash site was a rubber plantation. Four days after the disaster, Ahmad Wansa, a British citizen who was injured in the crash, died on board a Swiss aircraft while arriving"
"Varig's route rights, all aircraft but one and the Smiles mileage program. VRG Linhas Aéreas was bought by VarigLog. On 28 March 2007 VarigLog sold ""new Varig"" to Gol Transportes Aéreos, which presently operates the brand Varig and retains but does not operate the brand Rio Sul. Viação Aérea Rio-grandense, informally known as ""old Varig"", retained the brand of Varig's former subsidiary Nordeste Linhas Aéreas Regionais, the IATA code of Nordeste, one aircraft, debts, liabilities, legal disputes, and various assets, concessions and properties of the original Varig. Since ""old Varig"", could not use the brand name Varig anymore, it used"
"still painted with the Cruzeiro color scheme and with Cruzeiro registration received Varig colors. This aircraft ceased to operate in 2001. Major accidents involving fatalities: Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul was the second oldest airline of Brazil, tracing its origins to 1927, when it was founded as Syndicato Condor, a subsidiary of Deutsche Luft Hansa. Syndicato Condor retained rights and interests of a former German trade company, Condor Syndikat, which previously operated passenger and mail services in Brazil. It was renamed Cruzeiro do Sul in 1943. In 1975, Varig, a Brazilian airline which shared very"
"on February 10, 1965. After a brief interruption, on November 22, 1965 Varig succeeded Panair in the Brazilian half of the operation, using one of its Lockheed L-188 Electra II. In this phase, TAP also decided to start using its own aircraft, a Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation, for its share of the services. Thus, each airline had one weekly frequency and operated its own equipment. Flights ended in 1967. It is worth noting that Panair, TAP and Varig also operated nonstop flights between Brazil and Portugal without the restrictions imposed by the ""Voo da amizade"". For these, from 1960 to"
"Aeronorte Empresa de Transportes Aéreos Norte do Brasil Ltda – Aeronorte was a Brazilian airline founded in 1940 that operated in the north and northeast regions of Brazil. It was bought by Aerovias Brasil in 1953 but maintained some degree of autonomy. When Varig bought Aerovias Brasil, Aeronorte was incorporated into Varig. Aeronorte was founded on December 30, 1940. In 1950 Aeronorte rented a Junkers Ju 52 from VASP, and initiated flights from São Luís to Belém, to Carolina, and to Fortaleza, Recife and Salvador da Bahia. It was acquired by Aerovias Brasil on January 15, 1953, but continued to"
"were controlled by the same person, Linneu Gomes, the three airlines operated jointly and in practice it was Real which controlled the consortium. In its time, the Consortium dominated the passenger traffic on the triangle São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, the economic center of the country. In 1961 the three airlines of the consortium Real-Aerovias-Nacional were purchased by and merged into Varig. Accidents involving fatalities Transportes Aéreos Nacional Transportes Aéreos Nacional was a Brazilian airline founded in 1946. It was merged into Varig in 1961, when Varig bought the Consórcio Real-Aerovias-Nacional, of which Transportes Aéreos Nacional was one"
"Aero Geral Aero Geral Ltda was a Brazilian airline founded in 1941. It was bought and merged into Varig in 1952. Aero Geral Ltda was founded in 1941 in the Amazon region and started flying with a single Monocoupe 90A in February 1942. However, due to technical difficulties, it was grounded in 1944 and became operational again only in January 1947. In 1947, Edgar James McLaren, a former pilot of Panair do Brasil planned to start regular services in the Amazon region using amphibian aircraft. McLaren hoped to replace Panair, should the airline decide to end its services on the"
"concessions and properties of the original Varig. Since ""old Varig"", could not use the name Varig (brand and judicial name) anymore, its official judicial denomination changed to Nordeste Linhas Aéreas S.A. In order to give an image of new start, the brand name Flex was chosen. This name was unveiled on 23 October 2007 during the Brazilian Travel Agents Congress ABAV, in Rio de Janeiro. The first flight under the new brand, a charter return flight between Rio de Janeiro Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport and Salvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport, took place on 8 March 2008. Between 17"
"of the network, and had aircraft configured in all-economy class, used for scheduled domestic and international operations within South America. Because of contractual obligations, between 2006 and 2009 the ""new Varig"" (VRG Linhas Aéreas) was obliged to purchase a minimum of 140 hours/month of services from the ""old Varig"" (Flex Linhas Aéreas). Therefore, at that time, some of VRG Linhas Aéreas flights operated with Gol flight numbers but were actually flown with chartered aircraft from Flex Linhas Aéreas. The agreement ceased before the bankruptcy of Flex on August 20, 2010. On July 9, 2011, VRG Linhas Aéreas, owner of the"
"Varig brands), VarigLog, Avianca Brazil, NHT Linhas Aéreas, and Embraer. After the bankruptcy on August 20, 2010, this service was taken over by TRIP Linhas Aéreas. Flex Linhas Aéreas Flex Linhas Aéreas, styled as FLEX, was a Brazilian non-regular charter airline based at Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport. It is the brand name of Nordeste Linhas Aéreas S.A., judicial successor of former Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense, known as Varig. Informally Flex is known as ""old Varig"". The rebranding was necessary because since July 20, 2006 the brand Varig belongs to a different judicial entity. Flex was declared bankrupt on August 20,"
"three Douglas DC-4s and operated 30 experimental flights between 1948 and 1949. However, those services were dropped in 1949 due to lack of financial and other assistance from the Brazilian government. The Douglas DC-4s were sold and the money was used to buy four new Convair CV-340s. The concession to fly to the United States was revoked and granted to Varig. On 6 July 1959, Cruzeiro, Varig and VASP initiated the air shuttle services between Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont and São Paulo-Congonhas airports, the first of its kind in the world. The three companies coordinated their schedules, operations, and shared"